Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

One of the strongest wines in the vintage is the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Vincent Avril. This beauty has everything you could ask for. As with the 2018, the blend is heavily shifted toward Mourvèdre, and it offers a mammoth bouquet of black cherries, graphite, cured meats, Asian spices, and assorted garrigue-like nuances. Deep, full-bodied, and concentrated, it stays straight and focused on the palate (whereas the 2016 is more expansive and voluptuous), with a stacked mid-palate, ripe, silky tannins, and fabulous length. You’re going to want bottles of this in the cellar, and comparing the 2007, 2010, 2016, and 2017 over the coming two decades is going to be a treat.

The Wine Cellar Insider (99)

Rich, supple, deep, intense and complex, this is stunning from the get go. One sniff of all that gorgeous, spicy kirsch, herbs, peppery spice and mélange of red fruits and you're hooked. If that wasn't enough, the silky, supple, elegant, fresh palate presence will seal the deal, finishing with its layers of deep, red fruits. This wine should age and evolve for 2-3 decades with ease. The wine is a blend of 45% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and the remaining 5% consists of various, allowable grape varieties. The grapes are as always 100% destemmed.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The medium to full-bodied 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc boasts impressive concentration and richness, allied to terrific freshness and length. As I was tasting it, I kept shaking my head marveling at how this blend of Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul and Roussanne achieved such a wonderful sense of balance. Hints of anise no doubt play a prominent role in achieving this, enlivening the melon and pear that form the wine's core, to be elegantly replaced on the finish by lingering notes of ripe citrus. Certainly this is one of the most impressive whites I can recall tasting from this benchmark estate.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The medium to full-bodied 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc boasts impressive concentration and richness, allied to terrific freshness and length. As I was tasting it, I kept shaking my head marveling at how this blend of Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul and Roussanne achieved such a wonderful sense of balance. Hints of anise no doubt play a prominent role in achieving this, enlivening the melon and pear that form the wine's core, to be elegantly replaced on the finish by lingering notes of ripe citrus. Certainly this is one of the most impressive whites I can recall tasting from this benchmark estate.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Lastly, and a perfect wine, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Reserve is a 60/40 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre that’s brought up in demi-muids. It shows the vintage’s ripe, sexy, yet also concentrated and powerful style, offering full-bodied aromas and flavors of red and blue fruits, Provençal herbs, pepper, and violets. Possessing sensational elegance, perfect balance, and ripe, polished tannins, it’s always the more aristocratic, classy, seamless wine compared to the more exuberant, overflowing with character Les Quartz release. This matches the otherworldly 2001, 2007, 2010, and 2016.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

Moving to the tiny production 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz, which is mostly Grenache with around 25% or so of Syrah, it has a rich, full-bodied, dense, and almost backward style to go with powerful black fruits, ground pepper, and violet aromas and flavors. I love its purity of fruit, and it builds nicely with time in the glass, showing more mid-palate depth as well as ripe tannins. It’s a stunning bottle of wine, but patience will be required. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Decanter (95)

Fragrant and full with deep, rich, dark and silky tannins underpinned by great freshness. It has a smooth texture, the flavours of sweet but fresh and vibrant cherry fruit and a touch of menthol just gliding across the palate, supported by tight-knit tannins. High-toned with well-defined edges and a consistency from start to finish. You could drink this now for its rich but seductive charming fruit-forwardness.

The tantalising Clos I Terrasses Erasmus 2019 effortlessly encapsulates the richness of Catalan terroir. This distinguished product originates from Priorat, a region renowned for its llicorella soils, imparting prominent minerality to the wine. Exclusively crafted by legendary vintner Alvaro Palacios, the wine emerged from old-vine Grenache and Carignan, affording a complex, multi-layered texture. The grapes undergo traditional vinification in French oak barrels, with a matured depth enhancing further upon laying down.

Aromatic wisps of ripe fruit, earthy spices and an intriguing hint of graphite emanate from this inimitable blend. Clos I Terrasses Erasmus 2019 yields profound flavours of candied cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant, mingled with classic mineral undertones and silky tannins.

A testament to exceptional craftsmanship, this wine stands as a beacon of opulence, offering a captivating drinking journey. Revel in the quintessential essence of Priorat with the exquisite Clos I Terrasses Erasmus 2019.

Vinous (94)

Inky ruby. Highly expressive, mineral-accented blackberry, cherry, potpourri and exotic spice aromas take on a licorice nuance as the wine opens up. Intense black and blue fruit, floral pastille, cola and spicecake flavors are firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. Puts on weight on an extremely persistent, sharply delineated finish that repeats the dark berry and floral notes and leaves a hint of succulent herbs and smoky minerals behind.

James Suckling (100)

Ripe cherries, plums and flowers on the nose. Orange peel, too, together with hints of thyme, bay leaf and sage. Medium-to full-bodied, incredibly deep and fresh, with fine tannins that carry you deep down into the finish. It tells you its great, but makes you spend time in order to understand it. Reminds me of the 1990 Latour. Try after 2027.

Vinous (93)

Opaque magenta. Smoke-accented cherry, dark berry, fruitcake and pipe tobacco aromas are complemented by suggestions of vanilla and bacon fat. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering appealingly sweet black and blue fruit, vanilla, allspice and dark chocolate flavors and repeating smokiness. Shows fine clarity and dark fruit thrust on the long, smooth finish, which features harmonious tannins and reverberating spice and floral notes.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)

Lastly, the 2017 Hermitage got a big “wow” in the notes and boasts a powerful, concentrated style to go with sensational Hermitage notes of crème de cassis, scorched earth, and crushed rocks. It’s a sexy, voluptuous beauty that does everything right.

Vinous (95)

Inky ruby color. Powerful, mineral-accented black and blue fruit liqueur, incense, smoky bacon and potpourri aromas take on exotic spice and licorice nuances with air. Sappy, focused and deeply concentrated yet surprisingly lively as well, offering alluringly sweet blueberry, cassis, cherry-vanilla and candied violet flavors that are given back-end cut by building mineral and black pepper flourishes. The mineral and floral notes drive an extremely long, well-delineated finish, where dusty tannins provide shape and final grip.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2019 La Bruja de Rozas was one of the few 2019s already bottled when I tasted the whole range in November 2020. This is a village Garnacha from Las Rozas de Puerto Real, their first approach to the grape, trying to capture the essence of the fresh fruit and the fluidity of the wine. 2019 is a ripe vintage, and the wine is a little more powerful, juicy and balanced, with rich aromas and flavors. It comes from different plots of old vines ranging from 40 to 65 years of age and planted at some 900 meters in altitude on sandy granite soils in a zone that has plenty of rain, averaging 800 liters per year. Like all of their vineyards, these plots are worked organically and biodynamically. Each vineyard fermented separately in oak vats with indigenous yeasts with a soft maceration. The wine matured in oak vats of different sizes, ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 liters. The 2019 effect seems to be quite mild here; the wine follows the profile of the 2018, despite being a little riper, and it's still very balanced. There are notes of flowers, basil and a touch of bacon intermixed with the wild berries and herbs. There's a little more concentration, and the tannins are a little chalkier and more austere. But there is no excess ripeness or anything out of place, and it has acidity and length and finishes dry and mineral. 41,853 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2020.

Emanating from the romantic hills of Piedmont, Italy, Comero Sizzano 2017 presents an exquisite vintage that embodies the expertise of the Comero vineyards. The marriage of Nebbiolo and Vespolina grapes, masterfully matured in stainless steel and large oak barrels for a full-bodied flavour, imbues this vino with an unmissable aroma of red fruits, violets and luxurious spices reserved only for the highest quality wines.

Comero Sizzano 2017’s balanced tannins and luscious acidity truly set it apart; it rests gently on the palate, leaving a decadent aftertaste that lingers. The deep ruby red colouring perfectly complements the harmonious blend of fruit-rich and floral complexities, capturing the radiant Italian sun, fertile soils, and centuries-old passion of the Comero estate.

Brimming with a philosophy of hard work, respect for nature, and commitment to time-honoured traditions, Comero's Sizzano 2017 represents a sublime testament to expert Italian winemaking. Simply put, it is an essential addition to any connoisseur's collection.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2019 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru, a blend of two vineyards Les Beautrains and Les Bas des Duresses as usual, matured in around 25% new oak. It has a refined bouquet with a little more purity and sensuality compared to the Auxey Village. The palate is well balanced with gentle grip on the entry, quite rich but fresh in style with candied orange peel infusing the mixture of black and blueberry fruit. Crunchy, almost brittle texture towards the finish which is surprising given the type of growing season. Recommended.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2017 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru has a wonderful bouquet that fulfills its potential from barrel, offering immediately seductive brambly red fruit, crushed minerals and pressed rose petals. The 25–30% new oak is so neatly folded into the fruit that it is barely noticeable. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and quite citrus-driven, revealing orange peel and blood orange notes. Linear at first and then gently fans out and gains depth toward the persistent finish. Superb.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was bottled in June and July ‘21. Very perfumed and floral scents on the nose, dark cherries, bergamot, damp earth and touches of clove, later hints of violet and blood orange (traits that I observed out of barrel). This is nicely detailed. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, fine acidity, lightly spiced with a classy espresso-tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. Excellent.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a complex bouquet that is slightly more Musigny in personality than I expected. There is mainly dark fruit here, mixed with potpourri and incense and becoming more flamboyant as it aerates in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, and quite compact in style because, as François Millet noted, these 2017s are beginning to close down. But there is certainly good density here, and an enticing tensile finish.

Burghound (93-95)

(from a 2.67 ha parcel situated entirely in terres rouges soil in the far southern portion of the vineyard). A riper and more restrained nose requires some swirling to reveal its aromas of plum liqueur, blue berry, earth and a more restricted range of spice elements. The bigger and richer flavors possess an opulent richness and a velvety texture that coats the palate and enrobes the firmer tannic spine shaping the powerful, tautly muscular and strikingly persistent finale. This offers a completely different expression compared to the Amoureuses but one that is equally interesting. This too possesses superb development potential though patience definitely advised. (93-95)/2039+

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The 2017 Montrachet Grand Cru is a classic in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, citrus blossom, green apple, mandarin and beeswax, subtly framed by new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, beautifully complete and multidimensional, with a broad, satiny attack, a deep, layered mid-palate and a pure, penetrating finish. Youthfully reserved today, its almost understated elegance conceals impressive reserved of structure and extract.

Decanter (96)

Elegant perfume of lavender, wet stones and jasmine haunt the nose of this expressive and vibrant wine. With the chalky minerality and tangy finish that are trademarks of Limarí, this shows great regional typicity and is a mouthwatering wine with subtle oak integration. A complex yet elegant style.

Vinous (95)

The 2017 Barolo Mosconi Vigna Ped is deep, resonant and expansive, as wines from this site tend to be. In this tasting, the Mosconi is wonderfully deep. Its stature alone is compelling. And yet there is so much to the Mosconi. Readers will find a Barolo that melds together a rich, racy expression of fruit with plenty of structure that wraps everything together. Rich red fruit, blood orange, tar, spice and cedar build as the 2017 gains volume through to the finish.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Extremely elegant and focused, this compelling wine defies the heat of the vintage, starting with a heady fragrance of ripe dark-skinned berries, violet, camphor, dark spice and whiffs of crushed herbs. On the linear, elegantly structured palate, tightly woven but extremely polished tannins accompany juicy Marasca cherry, blood orange, licorice and white pepper while fresh acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. Drink 2025–2032

Vinous (94)

The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino Vermiglio is a bombshell beauty, with a bright bouquet of dried strawberries, crushed rose petals, shaved cedar, cinnamon spice and sweet smoke. It’s deeply textural, almost fleshy in feel, yet kept in line by vibrant acidity, as masses of black cherry and raspberry fruit envelope the palate. This totally harmonious Rosso finishes with a classic tug of fine tannins, along with nuances of sour citrus, inner earth and lavender tones. It embodies, without a doubt, the term “Baby Brunello.” The Vermiglio hasn’t been produced since 2013, it’s a barrel selection of Rosso that Costanti matures for two years, instead of one, in cask. Only 4,000 bottles were produced.

Wine Advocate (97+)

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 9% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple 2017 Proprietary Red soars out of the glass with notions of baked blueberries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial, backed up by nuances of chocolate mint, wild sage, violets and pencil shavings, plus an earthy hint of Chinese five spice. The rich, seductive, full-bodied palate is jam-packed with spicy black fruit preserves, framed by wonderfully plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and opulent.

James Suckling (99)

Blackberries, dark wet soil and blackcurrants. Graphite, too. So aromatic. Pure fruit. Full-bodied with superbly polished, fine tannins that draw you down through the center of palate. Extremely layered and the texture is so curated, giving wonderful persistence. Real plushness and fine, velvety texture. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 37% cabernet franc, 7% petit verdot and 6% merlot. Better after 2026.

Vinous (96)

The 2017 Syrah Hawks Butte is bright, floral and full of energy. Sweet red and purplish fruit, wild flowers, blood orange, spice and pepper notes all race out of the glass. The 2017 is wonderfully inviting and alluring, with stunning aromatic presence, bright fruit and exceptional balance. Wow. This is a sensational wine by any measure.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2017 Morey-Saint-Denis Village comes from four climats scattered across the appellation and sees one-third new oak. Compared to the Chambolle Village, there is more fullness of fruit on the nose, which offers red cherries, crushed strawberry and rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, a fine bead of acidity, a little piquancy toward the finish and a bit of orange zest on the aftertaste. Excellent.